Recent years have seen an increased interest in autonomous, semi-autonomous, and otherwise automated vehicles. Such automated vehicles are generally configured to operate in two modes: a “manual” mode in which the driver is able to manually operate the vehicle in the traditional manner, and an “automated” mode in which the vehicle is to some extent operated (via a control system) independently of the driver.
One of the primary challenges posed by automated vehicles is the the need for implementing a suitable “transfer-of-control” policy—i.e., the conditions under which the vehicle should switch (or is likely to switch) from an automated mode to a manual mode, or vice versa. Control will typically be transferred to the driver, for example, when the driving task it too difficult to accomplish in an automated mode or when the confidence of the automatic system in its own performance is lower than some threshold value. Currently known mechanisms for transferring control in such contexts can result in sudden transfers and be based on overly rigid, non-adaptive criteria that are not likely to accommodate a particular driver's needs.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved transfer-of-control policies for automated vehicles. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.